Assignment 7

Chapter 11, 12, 13

Thomas Edison State College

Introductory Astronomy
AST-101-GS002
Semester - October 2013

1.)Describe how Harlow Shapley determined that the sun was not the
center of our galaxy.
Harlow Shapley determined that the sun was not the center of our galaxy
by mistake. Shapley started off by wanting to study the size and the extent of
the star system, which he knew he could do by studying globular star clusters.
He knew he needed to measure as many globular clusters as possible but since
they were so far away he had to measure the absolute magnitude of variable
stars they contain which are closer to get their absolute magnitude since they
would tell him the distances to the star clusters. When plotting the variable
stars, Shapley noticed they did not center the sun but they were thousands of
light years away towards Sagittarius. That is when he realized the star system
was much bigger than anyone thought it to be and that Earth is in a galaxy.
2.)Compare differences between galactic and globular clusters.

A galactic cluster also known as an open cluster has many differences in

comparison to the globular cluster. The galactic cluster is only 9 billion years old
and the globular cluster is older than 13 billion years old. The galactic cluster is
located in the disk of our galaxy and the globular cluster is located in the halo of
our galaxy. The galactic cluster may contain gas and dust and the globular
cluster if it contains any gas and dust it is a very little amount. The galactic
cluster is not strongly bound by their own gravity while the globular cluster is.
3.)How does the use of H II regions to find a galaxys distance differ
from the use of Cepheid variables?
H II regions also known as emission nebula find a galaxys distance in a
way that differs from the use of Cepheid variables. Cepheid variables period is
related to luminosity, knowing the period one can use the period to check the
luminosity diagram to learn absolute magnitude. Once one knows the absolute
magnitude then one can compare the absolute and apparent magnitudes to find
the galaxys distance.
H II regions also known as emission nebula is made up of regions that are
ionized by gas. These regions are very luminous and believed to be measurable
in large distances. The first approach assumed that the diameter of the brightest
H II regions is related to a galaxys absolute magnitude. They realized that this
cannot be used as a distance indicator. More recent work has focused on
emission-line luminosities, assuming in essence that the more star formation,
the brighter the galaxy, and statistically the brighter the biggest few H II regions
are.
4.)How does the cluster method tell us the mass of galaxies?

The cluster method uses the motion of the cluster can tell us the mass of the
galaxies. It does this depending on the range of velocities and the size of the
cluster; one has to think how massive this cluster has to be in order to hold itself
together. When using the cluster method one would divide the total mass of the
cluster by the number of galaxies in the cluster which would equal the average
mass of the galaxy. It is important to remember when using the cluster method to
tell us the mass of the galaxies that this method assumes the cluster is not flying
apart.
5.)What evidence do we have that the center of our galaxy is a
powerful source of energy?
After observing the stars and our galaxy there is evidence that the
center of our galaxy is a powerful source of energy. In 1998 there was a
discovery there is a supermassive black hole located in the center of our
galaxy. Massive stars in the center of the galaxy die and produce powerful
supernovae. Also, Sagittarius A which is located in the center of the galaxy is
a very powerful source of radio energy. Observing radio wavelengths
astronomers discovered complex structures caused by magnetic fields and
radio star formation.

References
Horizons: Exploring the Universe, 10th ed., by Michael A. Seeds (Belmont, CA:
Brooks/Cole-Thompson Learning, 2008).
Keel, B. (2009, 10). The extragalactic distance scale. Retrieved from
http://www.astr.ua.edu/keel/galaxies/distance.html
National Science Foundation (1998, September 8). 'Supermassive' Black Hole
Found In The

Center Of Our Galaxy. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 25, 2013,

from
http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/1998/09/980908074632.htm